Andrew Jackson

Florida

The Election of 1824, page 2

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The William Blount faction of Tennessee politics wanted
to nominate Jackson for the Presidency soon after his return from
Florida. The faction convinced the legislature to back Jackson.
To groom him for higher office, the Blount group ran him for the
U.S. Senate again–defeating the current leader of the Sevier faction
as an added bonus. Jackson won by a vote in the legislature, and
he set off for Washington again.

Jackson's service in the Senate–twenty-six years after
his first term in that body–showed that he had gained little knowledge
of the political process but had measurably advanced in political
ability. He quietly mended his relationships with several key Senators and
worked behind the scenes to advance his Presidential quest.

Jackson's candidacy for President gained several key backers early
on. Pennsylvania signed on and other key states in the North and
South also signaled their support. Jackson's appeal was almost universal:
he stood as an example of the everyman, an orphan who overcame
humble beginnings in the backwoods of the Carolinas to became a
self-made businessman and war hero. Jackson faced two main opponents:
John Quincy Adams from Massachusetts and William H. Crawford of
Virginia, who had been seeking the Presidency since 1816. Others,
such as Henry Clay of Kentucky, were also-rans. In 1823, Crawford
suffered a stroke, and though it initially looked like he might
drop out of the race, he ended up persevering.

In the fall of 1824, Jackson decisively won a plurality
of the election, with his 152,901 votes topping Adams's 114,023,
Clay's 47,217, and Crawford's 46,979. None of the candidates, however, won
a majority in the Electoral College–Jackson earned ninety-nine votes,
Adams eighty-four, Crawford forty-one, Clay thirty-seven–and the
election was thrown into the House of Representatives as the Twelfth
Amendment dictates. In this scenario, each state delegation received
one vote and the winner had to receive a majority of thirteen states.
Clay, as the fourth candidate, was eliminated.

A frantic behind-the-scenes battle for the Presidency
began. Every candidate and his supporters buttonholed members of
Congress and crusaded in the press to win the election. To receive
Clay's support, Adams secretly promised Clay a position as Secretary
of State. Jackson tried making similar deals with Crawford, and
Clay's supporters even floated a similar deal with Jackson–even though
Clay had made his deal with Adams. In January, Clay announced his
support of Adams, denying that he had been promised anything in
return.

On February 9, 1825, the voting in the House began. Adams
held twelve states, Jackson had seven and Crawford held four. Crawford positioned
himself as the swing candidate, and New York held firm as the swing
state. Adams won the election on the first ballot, though, when
a single delegate in New York switched to Adams.